BTN.com staff, March 24, 2014
Tom Crean has announced Monday afternoon that redshirt sophomore Austin Etherington and sophomore Jeremy Hollowell will leave the Indiana men's basketball program.
?Austin told me this past Saturday night that he would like to take advantage of graduating in May and continue to play by relocating to another University,?Crean said. ?He is going to be a three-year graduate and wants an opportunity to look for somewhere he can have a larger role. Even though that is his choice, we are going to miss him. He is a fine young man.?
Etherington, a 6-6 forward, was a member of the program for three years and appeared in 53 games scoring 93 points and averaged 1.8 points and shot 37.7% from the field and 25.0% from three-point range. Etherington will be the 21st recruit since Crean came aboard in 2008-09 to earn a degree from Indiana University.
?I would like to thank Coach Crean and the entire coaching staff for helping me to realize my childhood dream of playing basketball at Indiana and graduating from such a prestigious University,? said Etherington. ?My experiences on and off the court are memories that I will never forget. After talking with my family, I have decided to move forward with the next chapter in my life. After graduating in May, I will pursue other options for my remaining two years of eligibility. I will forever be a Hoosier at heart and will always cherish the memories and friendships I have made at IU. Thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way.?
Hollowell, a 6-8 wing, played in 62 games and started 15 games this past season. He averaged 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds and shot 36.8% from the field and 22.6% from three-point range. In Big Ten play, he averaged 3.6 points and made one of nine from long distance (11.1%).
?Jeremy has indicated to us that he would like to transfer to pursue another college opportunity,? Crean said. ?We have put a lot of time and effort into Jeremy, both on and off the court and it is our expectation that he finish strong in school and adhere to team rules. We will be there to provide any help we can give to him to find another program. We hope he realizes his full potential and we believe we did everything over the last two years to help make that happen.?
?I have learned a lot from my time at Indiana,? Hollowell said. ?My time here has made me much stronger as a person. Things don?t always go as planned and I am looking forward to getting a fresh start and I hope to make the most of that opportunity. I want to thank Coach Crean for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play at IU. He has taught me a lot and has always wanted the best for me. I want to thank all the coaches and all the staff for being there for me. I want to thank the fans for their great support and I want to thank my former teammates for taking me under their wing. I want to thank my present teammates and I wish them all the best.?
